The Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34) travel to face off against the Boston Celtics (64-18) on Tuesday, May 7th. This game will be played at TD Garden in Boston and televised on TNT. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.
Cavaliers vs Celtics
Donovan Mitchell had a huge game for the Cavaliers, scoring 39 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Cleveland’s 106-94 win over the Magic closed out the series, and they won the series 4-3 in seven games. The Cavaliers won the game at home, and they hit the over on the over/under line of 195.5 points by 4.5 points.
As a team, Cleveland hit eight threes, and they shot 33.3% from beyond the arc. Max Strus hit three threes and finished with 13 points. Caris LeVert added 15 points for the Cavaliers, and he shot 55.6% from the field.
The Celtics picked up a 118-84 win over the Heat in their last game, closing out the series in five games. Boston took the series 4-1 and picked up the win at home. The over/under line for the game was 201.5 points, and the teams combined for 202 points, slightly surpassing the over/under line.
Offensively, the Celtics were hot from deep, hitting 16 threes on 40% shooting. Derrick White and Sam Hauser each hit five threes for Boston. Jaylen Brown also had a big game for the Celtics, finishing with 25 points and six rebounds.
Cavaliers Offense Breakdown
Donovan Mitchell is averaging 29.6 points per game over his last five games on a shooting percentage of 45.7%. In these games, he also averaged 4.8 assists and 5 rebounds. Darius Garland has hit 43.3% of his shots in his last five games and 15 points per game. For the season, the Cavaliers are 23rd in scoring at 112.6 points per game.
Cleveland’s scoring average is a little better on the road than it is at home, at 109.3 points per contest. Their home scoring average is 113.3 points per game. In terms of pace, the Cavaliers are 22nd in the league, averaging 97 possessions per game.
Celtics Offense Breakdown
Looking at the Celtics’ offense this season, they are averaging 120.6 points per game, which is the second-best mark in the league. Their average of 122.3 points per game at home is the best in the NBA. Boston leads the league in both three-point attempts and three-pointers made per game.
Jaylen Brown has been the Celtics’ leading scorer of late, averaging 22.8 points per game in his last five games. This has come while hitting 52.2% of his shots from the field. Over his last five, Jayson Tatum is averaging 21.8 points and 10.4 rebounds. Derrick White is averaging 22.4 points per game in his last five games, and he has hit 47.7% of his threes in that stretch.
Cavaliers Team Defense
So far this season, the Cavaliers’ defense has been one of the best in the league, allowing just 109.4 points per game (7th). On the road, they have been even better, giving up 110.0 points per contest (5th).
When it comes to guarding the three-point line, Cleveland has been solid, allowing opponents to shoot just 36.6% from beyond the arc (10th). On the season, opposing teams have made fewer threes than their season average in 63.4% of games vs. the Cavaliers.
Overall, opposing teams have shot 46.2% from the field (4th) and have made 21.3 free throws per game (13th). However, over their last five games, Cleveland has struggled to keep opponents off the line, allowing 19.6 made free throws per contest (26th).
Celtics Team Defense
When it comes to defense, the Boston Celtics have been one of the top units in the NBA this season. They are currently 4th in the league in points allowed per game at 108.3. Boston’s defense has been even better at home, giving up just 107.1 points per game.
One area where the Celtics have excelled this season is in keeping opponents off the free-throw line. They are 1st in the NBA in made free-throws allowed per game at just 17.0.
Over their last five games, Boston has been even stingier on defense, allowing just 92.2 points per game. During that stretch, opposing teams are shooting just 31.1% from beyond the arc.
Key Players For The Cavaliers And Celtics
For today’s matchup, we project Donovan Mitchell to lead the scoring for the Cavaliers, putting up 26 points and shooting at a rate of 9/20. This season, he is averaging 26.6 points per game along with 5.1 boards.
As for Boston, Jayson Tatum is projected to be the primary scorer for the Celtics. Our forecast has him finishing the game with 26, and adding 8 rebounds. This season, he is shooting at a field goal percentage of 47.1%, and his scoring average is 26.9 points per game.
Cavaliers vs Celtics Trends
- Through their last ten road contests, the Cavaliers offense has averaged 100 points per game while allowing an average of 117. Cleveland posted an overall record of 1-9 while going 2-8 ATS.
- The Celtics are 3-2 ATS in their last home games and 4-1 straight-up.
- Going back to their last three games as the underdog, the Cavaliers have a straight up record of 0-3. But, their mark vs the spread was just 0-3.
- As the betting favorite, the Celtics have an ATS record of 3-0 in their last three games. In these matchups, their straight up record was 3-0.
Cavaliers vs Celtics Prediction
For a pick on the point-spread in this Celtics vs. Cavaliers matchup, our bet is to grab the Cavaliers at +11.5. Even though our projections have the Celtics winning 117-106, we see the Cavaliers as the play on the point-spread.
Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 208 and given that our model is projecting 223 points between the teams, we like the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 7, 2024 Cavaliers, Celtics